Donald Trump names Neil Gorsuch as his pick for Supreme Court justice after narrowing choice to two favourites
The new US President has promised a conservative judge would replace the late Antonin Scalia
DONALD Trump has announced the next Supreme Court justice - naming his favourite Neil Gorsuch to take up the prestigious role.
The new president of the US announced his pick in a formal announcement at the White House, saying he wanted Americans to know he was "a man of my word".
Trump, who presented a list of candidates during the US election, told media: "I made a promise to the American people that if I were elected President I would have the very best judge in the country for the Supreme Court.
"I promised to select someone who respects our laws and is representative of the constitution."
Trump has consistently insisted that he would choose a conservative candidate to replace the late Antonin Scalia.
Trump added that he took the decision "very, very seriously" and went on to say millions of voters had said that the most important issue to them was the choice of Supreme Court judge.
Trump told the audience assembled for the 'prime-time style' announcement at the White House: "I am a man of my word, I will do as I say, something the American people have been asking for from Washington for a very, very long time."
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Trump added that he wanted the constitution to be interpreted as was meant when it was written.
And he lauded his picks abilities saying: “Judge Gorsuch has outstanding legal skills, a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline, and has earned bipartisan support.
“When he was nominated to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, he was confirmed by the Senate unanimously.”
The announcement of Neil Gorsuch means that he would be the youngest appointee to the lifelong role since William Rehnquist in 1971.
Neil Gorsuch also took to the podium, saying that he was "acutely aware" of his imperfections while taking on the role.
He said: "I am honoured and I am humbled."
The 49-year-old judge, from Colorado, appeared to be the favourite before his name was announced.
The judge now needs approval from the Senate - which could prove a long process.
The nomination of Gorsuch divided opinion.
Some have said his beliefs on assisted suicide, the belief that taking another human life is wrong, and how this will impact his thoughts on abortion, cause concern.
His controversial rulings include ruling in the favour of "religious freedom" for the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the craft company Hobby Lobby, which challenged the Affordable Care Act that stated they should pay for contraceptive coverage for employees.
The position of Supreme Court Judge has been vacant for nearly a year, since Justice Antonin Scalia died aged 79 last February.
And Gorsuch is seen as being very similar in style and thought to his predecessor and it has even been described by political blogs as "eerie."
Comments on , which is the main blog for the Supreme Court of the United States say he "believes criminal laws should be clear and interpreted in favor of defendants even if that hurts government prosecutions (like Scalia); he is skeptical of efforts to purge religious expression from public spaces (like Scalia); (and) he is highly dubious of legislative history (like Scalia)."
Trump vowed to nominate a solidly conservative judge with a record of interpreting the US constitution in a strict and faithful fashion, something which many say the nominee is a stickler for.
Gorsuch has a sterling legal pedigree and clerked for two Supreme Court justices, Byron White and Anthony Kennedy.
He also served as a clerk on the second most important appeals court in the country, in Washington D.C., for conservative Judge David Sentelle.
Gorsuch has said previously: "Like any human enterprise, the law's crooked timber occasionally produces the opposite of the intended effect.
"We turn to the law earnestly to promote a worthy idea and wind up with a host of unwelcome side effects that do more harm than good. ... "We depend upon the rule of law to guarantee freedom, but we have to give up freedom to live under the law's rules."
He is known for reading every piece of literature associated with a case before making a decision.
In 2006 he published a book called The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, which criticized the practice and defending the "intrinsic value" of human life.
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